Breathe Freely AirPro Mask Reusable Air Purifying Respirator with HEPA Filter

Note: I bought three of these units. This is NOT a paid review. Bottom Line First © - I searched all over the Net in my quest to find the BEST "mask with fan" (that's what I call it). After my research on Amazon and YouTube it came down to two masks, that one sold by a car parts company, and the Broad AirPro. I opted for the Broad mask because I liked that this product is specialized with the Company, this device has a dedicated web page, and a wide selection of parts are available (battery; HEPA filters; hose connectors - tube to the mask; extra tubes/hoses; tube fittings that allow joining two tubes to give an extra-long tube/hose; straps; etc.) Note: price was not a factor, all of these types of powered masks have the same base price point. (Price increases on some brands if you want more masks included in your order.) Executive Conclusion: I was so impressed with this product that after using the one I ordered, I quickly ordered two additional units. Mask Review: The box everything comes in was impressive. It's extra-thick cardboard. The packaging is reminiscent of a flagship mobile/cell phone box. Note: Don't be thrown off by the Chinese writing on one side of the box. Flip the box over, that's for English speakers. The feel and weight of the box impresses, telling you there's quality inside. Opening the box revealed careful packaging of the parts and mask unit. Bonus Tip and WARNING: Open the box on a large table that allows you to lay everything out, and for safety. Using a table or desk top will prevent the small clear parts falling to the floor, which will be hard to see and retrieve, especially if your floor area has lots of stuff (aka "junk") laying about making it all the more difficult to find. Think a Venus flytrap saying "feed me, feed me." I digress, forgive my dramatic embellishments. On excitedly sifting through your new-found treasure chest (the box) you will eventually discover: YIKES! THERE'S NO CHARGER! That's OK, slug a shot of . . . cranberry or apple juice and calm down because as with many modern-day electronics, a charger is NOT included in the box. Why? Because to charge the battery you can use one of the many cell phone/mobile chargers you have accumulating in your home's nooks and crannies. Note: The box does include a micro-USB cable, to connect one end to your charger and the other to the device. Yes, it's micro-USB, not Type-C. Bonus Tip: The first thing I did before eyeballing and pawing through all the box's wonderful things, I connected the device to an outlet so my cell/mobile charger could fully charge the battery (the battery comes installed inside the unit). While the device was charging I started the sifting process, similar to searching your cat's litter box in search of that last elusive doodad. For me, the generic stock kit I purchased included two masks. (I didn't need more masks because I intend to use my own masks with this device.) Super Fantastic Bonus Tip: The hole in the included stock ubiquitous KN95 mask is appx. 1/2 inch (12mm). Knowing that I spent $45 on a grommet making machine. From past experience, I knew this device would cut perfectly measured holes in any mask of my choosing (KN95 grade or better). Technique: for our purposes, you would put a mask on to the machine's 1/2" die, then you push down on the lever. Bam boom pow you have a perfectly cut 1/2" (12mm) hole. (This little grommet making machine also comes with other sized dies. I may need those for other projects where I need to make holes or attach a grommet.) Bonus Tip: I strongly recommend you buy a grommet machine rather than buy expensive pre-cut hole masks (they are $5 here on Amazon, from Broad). You will save lots of money. Here's a machine similar to what I bought on flea bay. https://www.amazon.com/Grommet-Machine-Grommets-Curtains-Scrapbooking/dp/B07Z56DGBK/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=grommet+kit+12mm&qid=1601076411&sr=8-6 Bonus Tip: I also suggest you look at Broad's "spare parts" here on Amazon (see my list above). IMO this is a BIG plus for buying this machine. Operation: - This unit came with a neck lanyard (already attached to the device), together with an attached Velcro mount, the label on it saying: it's to attach the unit to a helmet, for example. The lanyard works fine and I like simply hanging the unit off of it. - This unit is not that heavy. That means when wearing it you won't know or feel that it's there, at least not because of the weight. - Noise: IMO it's not noisy at all, even on speed 3 (speeds are the ubiquitous 1, 2, 3; or low, med, and high, if you will). Even if in a quiet Doctor's office the sound emitted will NOT be intrusive. - I can breathe I can breathe! I am a Vietnam combat Veteran who was exposed to Agent Orange. One of my AO maladies is suffering from respiratory problems. I've had two surgeries, the VA is planning a third. Adding to my problems, when going outside we Californians are suffering from intense wildfire smoke. Basically, if I'm outside longer than five minutes I'm in BIG trouble if the smoke is thick. Wearing this mask at high speed allows me to walk the dog and get back to the house quickly. I am no longer at risk of collapse for those five to ten minutes I have to be outside. (Inside my house I have four high-powered HEPA/UV-C air purifiers going 24/7, so there's zero smoke inside my house. Thanks for your concern.) At Other Times: This makes mandatory pandemic mask wearing a comfortable experience. I was in a Safeway supermarket for an hour; I remarked to my GF I didn't much notice wearing my Broad mask. Suffice it to say: ONCE YOU USE THIS "POWERED AIR MASK" I GUARANTEE YOU WILL NEVER GO BACK TO WEARING A PLAIN OL' KN95 MASK. Battery power: Is very good. I have run my unit on high for two hours and the battery didn't show any sign of slowing down or weakening. Others here have reported wearing their masks for eight hours! End Review P.S. Everything about this machine speaks skilled engineering, excellent execution, and a superb product overall. Buy this unit folks, you will love this machine. Bonus P.S. I will be updating this review with pics of my plain ol' KN95 masks "retrofitted" with hand-cut holes. The modified masks work perfectly with this machine.

Brass tacks: SARS-COV-2 is .1 microns across and HEPA 13 is only rated to .3 microns so if that's the main reason you wanted this mask, you might want to get another filter. ULPA filters, like the ones in medical grade vacuums, those protect down to .1 microns. However, I have to revise my review, because according to NASA, particles under .3 microns are subject to something called Brownian Motion and HEPA filters work on nano-particles at low velocity! So as long as the fan is on low, you will probably actually be entirely safe. Also the RZ mask filters which have been scientifically tested protect you down to .1 microns no matter what. Here's the problem: Those filters aren't the right size or shape! So just keep the fan on low and you'll be fine. But here's the cool thing about this mask: You can just wear it over another BETTER mask and cool down your face and that will take off a lot of the bigger particles so your real N100 or N99 mask feels a lot cooler. A lot of people also complain because some masks cause oxygen in the mask area to drop from 21% to 17% and even if it doesn't REALLY affect your body's oxygen saturation, it just doesn't feel right. This feels great! There's always fresh and clean air flowing over your face and even if some viruses slip through the HEPA filter, dust and stuff does not. Now, my long term plan is to get crafty and make a custom ULPA filter for this or wait until Broad Clean Air starts selling better filters. If you have a mask with valves, you can just hook it up to your existing masks. It comes with 2 adapters and an extension adapter for the tube, so its really easy to turn one of your valves in to an air supply port. This actually comes with 2 masks that are basically lined all the way around with tiny exhaust holes. The foam around the nose pad is super comfy. The elastic bands make the mask fit very tight, but if you have a wrap-around mask you can slide the flaps through the loops and make a very comfy double mask. If I was just worried about pollution, this would be great, but the video ad specifically shows news footage of the COVID-19 virus, hinting you should use it for that, but again, the filter is not ultra fine but better than nothing. I'm not sure about high speed, the fan might make it equivalent to just like a normal cloth mask or bandana. It also comes with a velcro armband that is TOO SMALL for the average American male. You must be skinny for it to fit. Instead, I just use the neck harness and the fan has enough velcro on the back to stick to my shirt. It comes with a USB cord charger and has 3 speeds. All the instructions are in English except for the spot on the device which says "hold for 2 seconds" in Chinese. Kudos to the translators for not writing "long press". It looks like a quality device. Better than a lot of Chinese exports, probably because it looks like this was something made for the Chinese to use themselves, originally. It feels sturdy like something made in the 1950's that might last forever and the tubes have no signs of leaks or flaws. When you open the device though, you can see the very simple inner workings and begin to wonder if it really should be $65. $65 seems a little high for just a tiny fan with a $5 filter, some tubes, and a couple masks, but it is a unique device and the alternatives are quite expensive so it is not totally unreasonable! As soon as I complained about the price, they took it down and I was wrong about it not blocking COVID, in theory, it should! So now I have to give this 5 stars! If the straps came with an adjustable plastic "ear saver" and if the arm-band was just a bit longer, then it would be 5 stars for comfort. If anyone knows where to get an ULPA cpap filter or inline filter, please let me know. That would be perfect for something like this and would probably fit well over the fan or in the line. The box is pretty too. It would make a great gift for people who don't wear a mask because they feel like they are suffocating or just sweat a lot while wearing a mask at work.

And, the battery is replaceable (replacements sold separately, it comes with 1). At 2000mAH for the batteries (again, only comes with one), it does run a good long while on low. If you're a sweaty breather, put it on med or high, but have an external battery pack and/or spare batteries handy for extended use. Recharges with MicroUSB, comes with a lanyard and (lanyard is also attached to) a heavy-duty velcro-like pad for sticking it to a helmet or something else. Only real downside is the hose can kink (it's super thin silicone, which needs to be washed when you get it to get the plastic smell out), and it's lightly fastened to the mask and blower unit, so it can kinda pop off if you're not careful or you swing it around too much. It's also not very long, but there are kits out there on Amazon for these units that lengthen the hose. When you first get it, wash the hose, and run the unit for a few hours in open air (with the hose attached but without the mask and not wearing it) to clear out any plastic smell. It's fine after that. Spare batteries are about $15 at time of writing (Feb 2023).

I live in the Southern part of the USA where we have NOT had alot of rain to clean the air. Thus, my allergies are affecting my everyday life. It is important for me to control my allergies so I do not have issues with my lungs. I discovered this handy device at my pneumonologists office. The person who implements my breathing test also wore one. It helps her to remain cool while working. I only gave 4 stars for comfort. Some instructions were not clear which can clearly take one out of their comfort zone . I can see how people may have a hard time putting together tubes and other items. Also, the tubes could easily break if you are prone to accidentally breaking stuff. The tubes are flexible, which is great when moving around. The tubes are not medical grade that you would find in a hospital. The machine is NOT heavy. The instructions using the arm strap are not clear. What it says does not make sense to attach to the arm strap. Again, the instructions may confuse some people. I followed instructions and let the device run for 2 hours to prime the filter. This device helped me breathe so much better than before. I am now able to walk my dogs in the park with clean fresh air. I will wear this every time I walk my dogs until we begin receiving our usual afternoon rain. This device is well worth purchasing for the price.

Excellent idea, the product must be perfected, I had lots of questions, plus it was too expensive to keep over a long period of time due to maintenance of keeping the ventilator tubes cleaned, the filters the mask and all the parts would cost you a mint. I purchased it because it looked like the perfect mask for me, once I received the mask it fit well, I was able to breath, the second day the mask got looser and then it began to slide down and cover my nostrils that cause me not to be able to breath, on hotter days the inside of mask's air flow got hotter and steamer, that wasn't healthy, so I had to return the mask. The seller is a very kind man, he's understanding and is willing to assist you. Once the mask is perfected, I will purchase it again

I purchased two of these for a recent airplane trip my husband and I took. The mask fit me well, but was very tight for him. In fact, he removed his mask and opted to use his disposable one instead. I wore my mask for the entire flight and was pleasantly surprised with the long battery life. I was also happy to see that I could wear it and charge it at the same time. My primary complaint is that the lanyard was too short or the filter tubing was too long. I don't really care which gets adjusted but the tubing kept pushing into my mask onto my lips because the lanyard was too short. I found that to be very irritating. Overall, I would use this again next time I fly because the peace of mind was worth the hassle of the tubing issues.

I have never left an amazon review (this is David's mom speaking) but this product is so wonderful that I felt I needed to add my voice. I am claustrophobic and have trouble with all but the lightest and least protective masks. I have just had this mask on for almost 4 hours and had no desire to take it off, it was so comfortable. I used it sitting down on the middle setting without having charged it for the suggested 4 to 6 hours and for light exercise on the 3rd setting. I charged it first for around 2 1/2 hours. And it still had 3 of the 4 battery lights lit when I took it off to give it a full charge. When you put the mask on and press it around your nose, there is some pressure felt on your nose. I use breathe right type strips to sleep at night (better breath is half the price of breathe right) and i put one of those on and it totally took care of that one small issue. At the highest setting, this mask is generating so much air that it actually leaks out around the mask which is super safe for even the most dangerous situations. I can't figure any way I could be happier with this mask and just wanted to tell the world.

This is a revision of my original review below. Broad sent me another unit to test after my money was refunded. It worked and proved to be more robust than it's size indicated. On the highest setting it will produce enough air pressure that for most activities. The fan noise is high pitched, basically white and not too loud. The user does not have to expend energy to suck air through the mask or filter. I bought the mask to facilitate a 300 mile car trip through California wildfire smoke. It looks like it would work find for that, especially as my car has a USB port to power it. The hose attachments are flimsy and in my opinion on them stands. Original review: The size is very convenient (real small), but it does not work and the Amazon mechanism does not allow a return. In a addition the Chat is stuck in a loop and you never get to the part that addresses the problem. Then when I try have Amazon call me, the call system tells me that I am connected but I never received the call. Amazon says there is a no return policy because shipping restriction, which I assumes means the battery. My search of the regulations does not reveal any restrictions on batteries this size that are part of a electronic product. I cannot find any reference to this no-return policy on the Amazon web page for the product. Comments on the product: 1. It is real small so it probably is of little use during strenuous activities. 2. There is no indication of any certification on the ability of the filter. There are 6 "official" seals on the product, none of which have anything to say about whether it works. The just mean the product is not likely to be dangerous. 3. A normal person breaths about 2 cubic foot of air a minute. To get positive pressure inside the mask, that's what keeps the bad stuff out, I think this unit will be straining. Under load; the biking, hiking and working; it is even less likely to be useful. 4. In my limited use I had trouble keeping the hose attached. The hose is pretty flexible and slips over a port that a ridge about 1/64" high. Any force on it pops it right off. You do not want to be using this in conditions that would be hazardous. 5. The hose is about 5 mm in diameter where normal respirator hoses are 40 mm. Volume wise that restricts the unit to less than 2% of a normal respiratory capacity. I would rename this from AIRPRO to AIR-NOT-EVEN-LITTLE-LEAGUE.

Self discharge is a real problem for these battery powered respirators. I have two of these, and on both units the batteries run down even when they are not turned on. After one week doing nothing they are nearly flat.